


Aquila and Aquarius

by RockySilence



Series: Constellations [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkward Keith, Fluff, Kidnapping, Kisses and their bites, M/M, Reckless Lance, Shouting Match
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 23:26:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15896295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RockySilence/pseuds/RockySilence
Summary: Keith has no idea how to kiss properly or be subtle about his concerns, but he and Red knows exactly how to plan a kidnapping on the spot.





	Aquila and Aquarius

**Author's Note:**

> One of the origin stories of Aquila and Aquarius goes as follows...  
> Aquarius was once the best looking young lad in all ancient Greece. Completely smitten by him, the lovestruck Zeus morphs into an eagle and abducts the boy to become water carrier of the gods!

He was the first through the castle’s doors, yet, he sat tight, keeping Red at the ready. His anticipation reverberated through the mental link between them and Red was chirping in delight and excitement in return. They had a plan. She was always up for mischief and Keith’s ideas were usually on par with hers, so they came up with it together. Red squatted down like she was waiting for a delicious mouse to wiggle its tail around the edge of a corner any tic now. They watched quietly as Green, Yellow, Blue and finally Black took their place and leaned down to allow their paladins to depart. Keith opened up a communication link between him, Pidge, Hunk and Shiro, purposefully cutting Lance out who was busy flirting with Blue anyway to pay him any mind.

‘Keep your helmets on for another minute’ he warned them without much of an explanation, his finger poised over the button opening the sliding panels down below. Lance finally stepped away from Blue and started walking towards the others and that was his clue. Fast, agile and surprisingly quiet, Red surged forward. She spread her jaws wide, swallowing Lance in whole and took a head dive, body stretching long to fit through the opening barely wide enough. He heard Lance bang into the wall once, twice… and thrice as Keith took a somersault and tipped Red’s nose into a spinning dive at random just because the jerk deserved it. Through the walls separating them he heard Lance bluntly swearing left and right, royally pissed and Keith was grinning like the very cat that ate the cream and got away with it. The passageway to the cockpit was closed, Keith made sure of that and giggled when he heard Lance banging against it like a maniac. If anyone else were to listen in, people would think his second name was Quiznak and not Kogane. It took Lance a minute for his anger to cool enough and establish a communication link between them.

‘You piece of frickin…aggh!’ Keith tipped his lion sharply to the right, rolling Red onto her back before taking a loop upside down. ‘The second I get my hands on you I’m…’ Tip to the left…Bang… ‘Stop that already!’ Lance yelled and Keith giggled. Fricking giggled before pulling Red up horizontal again. She was chirping in his mind more like a well fed tabby cat than a vicious lion and Keith knew that her tail was swinging from side to side behind them. Excitement and mischievous amusement made their mental link buzz with electricity. Keith leaned back, letting Red take the wheel for a while. He told her to keep circling in the close vicinity of the castle, just in the corner of Allura’s watchful eyes, but far enough that they had some privacy and Red did so happily, pulling away to allow their thoughts to part, lingering in the back of his mind. Lance fell silent. Their com link was still buzzing with that small staticky white noise, but Lance was quiet. No questions, no quiznaks, just silence. Keith sighed, still smiling as he got up, stretched and went to open the passageway. Squatting by the edge, he looked down. Lance sat on the floor, back and arms braced against one wall, feet against the opposite, doing his best to keep from getting joggled around like loose cargo.

‘What?’ he snarled. ‘Done with your joyride already?’ Keith sighed, admitting to himself that maybe he overdid it a little. He stood, pulling his helmet off to ruffle his hair back in place and walked back to his seat. Ankles crossed, he propped his feet on the edge of the control board where he placed his helmet and folded his arms on his chest, surveying the foreign constellations in the distance and keeping track of the castle as they orbited around it. Lance will come up eventually, he thought. Until then, he was dead set on enjoying the momentary peace and quiet. Sure, he could have a similar experience in his room at the castle, but the pit of his lion filled him with that intimate comfort he couldn’t find anywhere else. He knew every nook and crany within and Red’s devotion boosted his confidence and self-worth to the very ceiling. He was in control and Red was his for the taking nose to tail tip. All of her belonged to him and all of him belonged to her as long as they needed each other and Keith was content with living for the day. He knew better than to worry about an elusive, fickle thing like future. Allura did that enough on her own for all of them.

‘Why did you drag me up here, Mullet?’ Lance asked quietly, removing his helmet, placing it next to his and leaning on the back of his chair. ‘I’m tired, I’m hungry, I want a shower and I want my bed. Haven’t we argued enough for the day?’

‘We have’ Keith murmured.

‘So, why are we up here instead of down there?’ Lance pointed at the castle in the distance, barely the size of a quarter from their point of view.

‘To argue’ Keith said simply and Lance sighed, his head dropping on the arm propped on his seat.

‘Mullet, take me back. Please? Tomorrow we can argue all you want, okay?’ Keith rummaged around in one of the handy holsters of his seat and handed a pocket of pre-packaged food goo to Lance. The portable rations were Hunk’s idea, learning from their last excursion when they got stuck on a swamp like planet without food for almost three days. Even though he wasn’t a big fan of food goo, Keith happily stuffed his lion full with the small pockets that looked similar to their water pouches. Lance grimaced, but they both heard his growling stomach as he finally snatched the pocket from him with a grunt. Keith took one himself and they ate in silence with as much grace as they could manage, even though the occasional slurping was unavoidable. They washed the goo down with water and Keith stuffed their waste into another pocket, reminding himself to dispose of it later. Lance sighed anew and half sat on the right armrest of Keith’s seat.

‘I guess the sooner we get this over with the better so, shoot, Mullet.’

‘You’re an idiot’ Keith smacked his lips, sinking lower in his seat.

‘Anything else?’ Lance smirked.

‘Lance, what is the manifestation of your bayard?’

‘Mullet, I know I’m not the sharpest one around, but this is seriously insulting’ Lance murmured, his playfulness hollow.

‘You are sharp, Lance, that is the problem’ Keith huffed. ‘You are supposed to be a sharp shooter and you should know better than anyone that your mindset and skills are equipped for long range.’

‘Oh, wait a second. Is this about…’

‘Exactly!’ Keith twisted around abruptly, feet on the ground, facing Lance. ‘I will have Shiro chew you out for this too, but I will start first. You belong in the rear, Lance! I’m the one with the sword! I deliver the blows alongside Shiro and you watch over our backs and clear the way ahead. You do not engage in close combat! Never, if you can avoid it!’ Keith was yelling now, the anger and hurt he bottled up previously cracked and flooded his veins with wildfire anew. Even Red let out a roar, very much in agreement and Keith shivered with the sound echoing through his mind. They both had this uncanny possessive streak Keith just couldn’t shake no matter how much he tried. He stood, suddenly crowding Lance who slipped halfway into his vacated seat in surprise. Eyes wide, long legs hanging over the armrest comically.

‘Look, Mullet, I just…’

‘You could have avoided it!’ Keith cut him off before Lance could voice his stupid excuse.

‘If I…’

‘I said, you could have avoided it!’ If there was one thing Lance loathed, it was being cut off. Keith learned that over the years all too well. He did not do it on purpose this time, but what’s done is done and now he eagerly awaited the inevitable. Lance’s baby blues narrowed, his temper rising like the tide to meet Keith head on and he looked forward to the clash of breaking waves and rolling thunder. He always did. That heady feeling the closest to the high he could find besides flying at breakneck speeds through deadly asteroid fields, but even that paled sometimes in comparison to the storm he and Lance could whip up in a matter of seconds. The combination of them was more combustible, thrilling and addictive than anything Keith has ever encountered. He felt his breath quicken as Lance jumped up from his seat, stepping up to him, unrepentant.

‘Avoided it, you say?’ he started off quiet, but soon the crescendo followed. ‘Shiro was pushed out of range!’ he yelled, arms spreading wide for a moment, gesturing wildly. ‘Busy with protecting his own ass! If I did not drop down from my perch, you would have a hole in your back the size of your overblown ego!’

‘Then I would have spent a few vargas in a pod! So, what?’ Keith snarled back at him.

‘You would have been lucky to even make it to a pod!’ Lance bellowed, jamming a fist into his shoulder, forcing him backwards a step.

‘Pidge needed your support more than I did!’ Keith pushed back, but Lance was having none of it, grabbing his wrist and shaking him good.

‘Pidge had Hunk covering her for a reason and they were fine! I checked!’

‘You are not meant to be on the front line!’ Kith growled, stubborn to the point of irrationality.

‘We are fighting a war, Keith! Our enemies don’t give a fuck about who is meant to be where in a formation and it’s not like you care anyway, you hypocrite! Going solo when it suits your suicidal streak but bitching when someone else makes an individual decision. Oh, and for your information, Shiro was the one who told me to leave my post the moment I think the team is about to be overwhelmed. Shiro, trusted my judgement! He trusted my skills! He trusted me!’ Lance shook his arm again, but his voice was quieting down. ‘I made the call.’ He stated calmly, letting go of Keith’s wrist. ’We all got out in one piece so shut your mouth, Mullet and just swallow it for once.’ Keith felt Lance pulling away, the tide passing suddenly, leaving him soaked to the skin but stranded all alone. He couldn’t bear it. He grabbed Lance’s shoulder, refusing to let him turn away. ‘Shut it!’ Lance warned him through gritted teeth, not even looking at him. He shut it. Only for a moment, but he shut it. Lance had a point, but Keith’s skin was crawling with the idea of him pulling similar stunts like that in the future just because this one worked out. More luck than skill really. At that moment, he needed a shield and Lance was very good at using a shield. He had this uncanny precision when it came to impact angles which was probably a carryover of his sharpshooting skills, but because Lance couldn’t do more than use a shield and shoot, he was rather vulnerable on low ground. His close combat skills were absolutely rubbish. Pidge could beat him up on the mat with a hand tied behind her back, Keith knew because he watched it happen a little while ago. Last time he threw a punch at a sentry, he twisted his wrist for quiznak’s sake. Keith rubbed his forehead with his other hand.

‘Let me train you’ the words were past his lips before he even contemplated them properly, but if he couldn’t beat some self-preservation into Lance than no one else will be able to either.

‘Huh?’ Lance looked at him from the corner of his eyes, frowning.

‘If you insist on being reckless then let me train you.’

‘We are training enough already on Shiro’s account.’

‘Training with your rifle and gun. That’s not enough’ Keith shook his head. ‘If you want to be my shield, you will learn how to use a sword, so you understand what I’m doing.’

‘What comes around goes around’ Lance stuck his chin out. ‘If you want me to make a fool of myself with a sword that clearly doesn’t belong in my hand than you will do target practice with me.’

‘Fine’ Keith scowled, but agreed without further ado. Lance blinked in surprise, expression softening. Apparently, he did not expect Keith to give in so suddenly.

‘O-kay’ Lance added hesitantly, and the silence stretched between them, long tics making the air heavier and heavier. ‘Uhm… now what?’ Keith shrugged, pulling his hand back to fold his arms on his chest.

‘Do you want to go back?’ he asked, shifting his weight foot to foot until Lance had enough and grabbed his shoulders to keep him in one place.

‘Are you nervous, Mullet?’

‘Why would I be nervous?’ he spit back the question, side-eying Lance, doing his best to hide the tell-tale shaking of his hands. It was a side effect of his fight-or-flight. His body remained stationary for too long and with the excitement gone, the build up of adrenaline was making him jittery. Lance frowned.

‘Let’s sit for a moment’ he declared suddenly, pulling Keith along, not giving him the slightest chance to protest and before he could utter as much as a quiznak, he found himself sitting across Lance’s lap. He had his right hand on Keith’s left knee and his left arm hooked around him, holding onto his opposite elbow, supporting Keith’s back but also keeping him caged in his embrace.

‘What got into you?’ he whispered, staring out into the endless horizon, hoping that the glowing red lights masked the burning blush steadily spreading across his cheeks.

‘I’m just glad you don’t have a gaping hole in you, that’s all, Mullet’ Lance sighed, pulling him a notch closer, leaning back in his seat. Keith went along. Stiff as a board, but he let Lance have his moment.

‘Do you want to go back?’ ha asked a while later, getting tired of staring out into the endless distance.

‘Maybe we could stay just a little longer’ Lance murmured, closing his eyes and tipping his head forward to press his temple against Keith’s forehead. Stunned at the sudden display of affection and utterly clueless, he sat in his lap like a ragdoll. Letting Lance arrange his limbs as he saw fit, but neither contributing, nor objecting. ‘Is it that uncomfortable?’ Lance asked, a little hurt, pulling back slightly to look him in the eyes.

‘Huh?’ Keith asked back in a very intelligent and refined manner.

‘You’re stiff all over and your feet is tapping in the air, I can feel it’ Keith haven’t even noticed that his feet was moving until Lance pointed it out.

‘I just…’ he trailed off. What was he really? Uncomfortable? Not quite. Nervous? Possibly. Lance opened his arms and let them fall back onto the armrests.

‘You know what? Do whatever you want’ Lance cut off his chance at an explanation before he even started and turned his head sideways, closing his eyes. ‘I know you have some trust issues, but this is beyond my scope. I tried. I’m tired. Either kiss me or take us back and let’s forget about this for good.’

‘Are you giving up?’ he asked quietly, his voice small and unsure even to his own ears.

‘Yes’ Lance answered without hesitation and that little word felt like a whiplash to the face. Lance sighed, blinking up at his unquestionably stunned expression. ‘Finally, a reaction’ he hummed sadly. ‘Yes, I’m giving up for today.’

‘Today?’ he repeated dumbly.

‘You won’t get rid of me that easy,’ Lance cracked a smile that was gone in the next second. ‘I’m tired, little monster’ he murmured, eyes drifting closed, ‘kiss me or take me back. Preferably kiss me and take me back, but at least take me back, ne?’ Keith’s mind was in pieces. Little monster? Where the quiznak did that come from? He shook his head slightly, chasing the questions away. Lance did look rather pale and worn out, long eyelashes grazing unusually dark circles under his eyes. He swallowed, reaching out to Red for a little courage and he almost felt a phantom nudge between his shoulder blades. He went along, bending down, fingers grazing his neck, thumb gently lifting his chin. Keith pressed his chapped and dry lips against his, unsure what else to do. Long moments passed before Lance finally came alive, wrapping his arms around him again. His wicked tongue darted out, licking the seam of his lips, a quick, wet electrifying sensation, but before he had a chance to answer with a lick of his own, he pulled back, content with having his lips on his. They kissed, but Lance was acting lazy, Keith realised after a minute. It wasn’t like their previous kisses. If Keith did not move his lips, he just sat, utterly motionless, doing no more than keeping them pressed together. Keith reached out to Red again in his fright of screwing this up even more. He did his best to channel his helpless, clueless, clumsy thoughts, requesting her urgent help. The answer came in the form of an all too familiar urge. Bite. He did. He pulled Lance’s lower lip between his and sank his teeth into the plush and tender flesh with satisfaction, hard enough to taste a hint of copper. It worked. Lance’s throat vibrated with a low growl under his fingertips. Maybe a little disapproving, but he pulled him closer and bit back with the same vehemence before licking at the wound, soothing the momentary pain and kissing it better right away. Keith melted, the tension seeping out of him at once, like he stuck his head under a waterfall, and let the water carry away everything that wasn’t Lance and his soft, playful lips and soothing hands running up and down the outside of his thigh and squeezing his waist. His dangling foot hit Lance’s calf and Keith hooked his ankle behind it for better leverage and balance as he leaned in further, pushing Lance until he leaned all the way back in his seat and hummed happily, parting his lips and inviting him with playful nips and teasing licks to deepen the kiss as much as he wanted. If, he wanted it, because Lance turned awfully stubborn and unresponsive again. Keith bit down anew. Not to the point of drawing blood, but forceful enough to make his point, hoping to rile him up just like the first time. Lance remained passive. He bit once, twice, three times more. Nothing. He gave him a gentle push and Keith pulled back, frowning. Lance rolled his lips in, licking the abused flesh.

‘Sweetheart, if you bite me again, I’m going to drop you’ Lance warned him and Keith huffed, pulling his hands back and folding them on his chest. Sweetheart? Little monster? Was Lance making fun of him?

‘It worked the first time, I thought it would work again’ he murmured, staring at his knees as Lance shook with quiet laughter. Felling thoroughly ashamed and embarrassed, he made sure to channel it to Red too. Look what you got me into, he chastised her. Keith though she was rather amused by the situation, but she gave him another hint. I’m not doing that! Keith growled at her, blushing at the very idea of what she was suggesting. He will understand, she mused before pulling away, letting him stew in his own mess and figure it out any way he wanted. Red was harsh at times and Lance was unusually uncooperative, although he did say that he has given up for today.

‘You have no idea how much I needed that’ Lance sighed, a subtle smile settling on his bruised lips as his eyes closed again. That all too firm _yes_ and the memory of ice in his veins still echoed in Keith’s mind. He did not regret pushing Lance, but he felt like it was his turn to initiate if he wanted to bridge the gap he wedged between them.

Keith contemplated Red’s suggestion, eyeing Lance, trying to guess how he would react. Other than his bruised pride, he did not have much else to lose and he was out of ideas. Worst come, he will be sitting on the floor. Keith took a deep breath, let it out slowly and leaned forward. Closing his eyes, he gently pressed their foreheads together, bumping their noses and breathing each other’s air. They both remained motionless for a while, Lance humming quietly. Keith couldn’t decipher that nonchalant hum for the life of him, but it did not sound like Lance was against what he was doing, so he kept going, tipping his head to the right, rubbing his cheek and the corner of his mouth against his, dipping down and nuzzling the soft skin of his neck just under the jaw that was left vulnerable above the collar of his suit. Lance hugged him close. So maybe Red wasn’t as clueless as him after all.

‘Your nose is cold’ Lance murmured.

‘You had to ruin it’ Keith whispered against his skin, shoulders dropping as his fuzzy bubble burst, but he refused to pull away just yet. Fresh out of a tough battle, dirty, sweaty, ruffled and shuffled and tossed around, Lance still smelled awfully nice. A bit musky, but nice. Or maybe Keith just had some very skewed tastes. Who knows.

‘Believe me, I would love to continue this, but I really, really need that shower and a pillow under my head. Maybe you could join me?’

‘Not happening’ Keith huffed, nuzzling his neck once more, pressing the cold tip of nose against his skin just because he felt like being sassy. He pulled away at last and reached forward to take control of Red. It was not the most comfortable, steering while he was sitting sideways, but they were close by and it beat the awkward alternative of having his ass pressed up against Lance’s crotch. That would be too much for the day. Keith felt Lance set his chin on his shoulder as his arms snaked around him, fingers lacing together to settle on his hip. Even at a relatively slow pace, compared to Red’s usual speed, they reached the castle in two dobashes. Keith guided Red confidently through the barely open panels and took their usual place.

‘Hey, Mullet’ Lance murmured, as Keith landed softly and started running his routine battle aftercare system check-up on Red. Keith hummed in question, reading the stats running on his screens carefully. Judging by his voice, Lance was already half asleep. Getting to the end, he noted that Red was in excellent shape. He patted the control board fondly. They did well today. The screens turned dark and Red went dormant to rest. Keith unhooked his ankle form Lance’s calf and braced himself to stand, but Lance was worse than an overgrown octopus.

‘We are here, your pyjamas are burning.’

’They are’ Lance yawned. ’Mullet, if you want to kidnap me again, do it on a day off, ne?’

‘Who says I’m kidnapping you again?’

‘If you don’t then I will.’

‘Why, exactly?’ Keith questioned, fidgeting in place.

‘To teach you how to kiss properly’ Lance mused.

‘I already know how to kiss!’ he hissed, elbowing Lance in the chest, but all his elbow caught was his breastplate.

‘No, you don’t’ he chuckled, squeezing him tight before letting go abruptly. ‘That was Red guiding you.’ Keith froze. Stunned, speechless, his whole face on fire. How on earth did Lance figure that out? ‘You know, you are not the only one sharing your mind with a feline entity. Biting? That was mostly you, being sassy like last time. But, Mullet’ Lance chuckled again, ‘you actually thought I wouldn’t recognise that nuzzling act you pulled?’ Keith stood, clearing his throat and grabbing their helmets.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’ he lied, dropping the blue one in Lance’s lap. ‘Move or you sleep locked in here’ he added, finding his way easily in the dark. They exited Red and Keith was about to walk away as fast as he could manage without looking like he was running. Lance wouldn’t let him. ‘What is your…mmf’ Keith was yanked back by his elbow, turned around and silenced with a kiss before he could finish protesting. What was it that he was protesting against? He had no idea. Lance kissed him harshly. Pressing and licking and nipping at first when he refused to yield and it was heaven in its own right, their constant battle of wills picked up on an entirely new frontline, but when Keith did melt with a moan and let his chin drop and his teeth part, he forgot altogether what he was fighting for. It felt so much better to cooperate than to resist. When Lance led and he followed, the world ceased to exist around them. He mirrored every lick, every suck, eager to give back as much pleasure as he received, pulling him closer and wrapping his arms around him. As soon as he did that, Lance stopped kissing him. Their lips were still pressed together and Keith repeated his last ministration over and over, but when no answer came, he panicked, teeth sinking into Lance’s lip again, delivering pain the only way he knew how to grab someone’s attention. It backfired. Lance pulled away with a hiss.

‘See, little monster, you don’t know how to kiss’ he murmured, grimacing. Wide-eyed, breathing hard, Keith watched a drop of blood well up on his bruised lower lip, transfixed, waiting for the moment it would tumble down, but Lance licked it off before gravity could act upon it. ‘You’re following nicely and I love it, but I stop and you either freeze up altogether or start biting.’ Pulling his hands back, Keith looked away, feeling a little guilty. Lance sighed. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against a little teeth every once in a while, it feels nice and I like that edge, but when you do it constantly, it turns painful and distracting.’ Lance dodged left and right, trying to catch his eyes, but he refused, pushing until Lance finally loosened his arms enough that he could turn his back at least. Keith just wanted to go find a training bot and beat the heck out of it. Maybe then he would forget about his burning face, somersaulting stomach and Lance’s stupid lips.

‘Let go!’ he snarled, running out of patience.

‘Not until you kiss me goodnight.’

‘Want me to bite you again?’

‘I asked for a kiss, not a bite’ Lance leaned down, murmuring in his ear. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to turn his back.

‘Let me go first’ Keith negotiated, expecting a tug of war, but Lance gave in right away. He’s tired, he reminded himself anew. Voltron only joined the battle when it was already raging, but Lance was on stakeout all day, watching over their allies backs. Their eyes met for a moment and Keith stilled himself. He already screwed up as much as he could. One more glitch would just be the icing on top. He eyed the door behind Lance, contemplating how fast he could reach it. Twenty, maybe fifteen steps if he stretched it. Lance sighed, giving up, knowing all too well that he was planning his escape, but Keith met his eyes again, determined. If he was about to bury his reputation for good, he would go down swinging. He leaned in, pressed a sloppy kiss on his cheek and bolted for the door. The lock forcing him to pause, he glanced back. Hand rising, Lance gently touched the spot he kissed, eyes wide, blushing as he looked after him. Keith bounced on his toes once and darted away, racing down the shadowy corridor, chased by Lance’s bellowing laugh echoing all around him.

**Author's Note:**

> Your kind words and kudos are my life force. If you liked it, leave as many as possible!


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